1. John-Henry Krueger

John-Henry grew up in the Peters Township area. On Instagram, John-Henry had this to say about qualifying for the Olympics, “Tonight I accomplished one of my two most important goals as an athlete. Tonight I became an Olympian. There are so many people to thank since I have encountered so many in my skating career. But the ones who deserve the most recognition is my family. I have not seen any other family support and fight through so many adversities for so long. I can with complete confidence say that accomplishing this dream of mine would not be possible without them.”

John-Henry Krueger will be competing as a member of the men’s Olympic U.S. Speedskating short track team. In honor of his achievement, let’s look back at some other Olympians from the Pittsburgh area.

2. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle was born in Mount Lebanon Township. He attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a degree in education in 1993. While a student at Clarion University, Angle became a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. After graduating from Clarion, Angle won a gold medal in freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Angle went on to become a professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Between WWE and TNA, Angle has won a total of 21 championships.

Lauryn Williams was born and raised in Detroit and Pittsburgh. She attended the University of Miami, where she competed on the track team and was inducted into the Iron Arrow Society, the university's highest honor. On Feb. 19, 2014, Williams and Elana Meyers won the silver medal for women’s bobsled at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Williams currently resides in suburban Pittsburgh.

4. Suzie McConnell-Serio

Suzie McConnell-Serio was born in Pittsburgh, where she attended Seton-LaSalle Catholic High School. She led her high school team to the PIAA State Championship in 1984. McConnell was on the gold medal-winning U.S. women's basketball team in the 1988 Summer Olympics. She earned a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. She went on to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a point guard for the Cleveland Rockers from 1998 to 2000. She is currently the head coach for the women's basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh.

5. Leah Smith

Leah Smith was born in Pittsburgh, and she has a family history of athletic greatness. She is great-granddaughter of World Series champion baseball player Jimmy Smith and great-niece of boxer Billy Conn. Smith is a graduate of Oakland Catholic High School. In 2016, Smith competed at the Rio Olympic Games, and she won a bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle. Smith also won an Olympic gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.